Rains County, Texas 
Humphrey looks back at century in Texas

By LEIA HOLLAND

Staff Writer PECOS, June 27, 2000 - Imagine living without CD players. Imagine living without television. Imagine living without fast food restaurants. Can't do it? Marana Orsborn Humphrey did just that while growing up. She is celebrating being 100 years young tomorrow. Humphrey was born on June 28, 1900, in Emory, Texas. Emory is in Raines County were her father was sheriff. Both the city and county in East Texas were named after her grandfather, Emory Raines. Humphrey was the oldest of five children. She had three brothers, Gus, Max and Sparks and one sister, Lillian. Growing up on a farm, Humphrey's father always expected her to work as hard as the workers making her very strong. Her daughter, Lillian Creasy, feels this partly accounts for her longevity. Humphrey's mother died when she was young and took over the family. She would cook for her family and the workers everyday. "She was always known by friends and family as sister," Creasy said. Humphrey's family was always very loyal to each other. Humphrey lived in the Raines County area until she married her true love, Joseph Robert Humphrey, in 1923. "They were so devoted to each other," Creasy said. The newlywed couple then moved to West Texas. They settled in Van Horn first and then moved to Pecos in 1924. While in Pecos, Humphrey worked as an elementary school and home economics teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. Her husband was the superintendent of schools. Humphrey and her husband would go to school in the summers. They lived on a "shoestring" budget in those days. For example, they had to eat off of pie plates because they did not have real china. "They didn't have much but they were happy," Creasy said. After living in Pecos for ten years Humphrey and her husband moved to Olney, were he also served as superintendent. While in Olney, their daughter Martha Jo was born. Soon after the newly expanded family moved to Temple. Mr. Humphrey was superintendent of schools and president of Temple Junior College when Humphrey gave birth to their second daughter, Lillian. In 1950, the family of four moved to Austin. Creasy explained that teachers and administrators were like a big family all over the state and moving to Austin was like moving to another home because her parents knew so many people. While in Austin, Humphrey received her master's degree from the University of Texas and taught fourth, fifth and sixth grades. "I used to love to visit her classroom," Creasy said. "Her students adored her." During that time, she was voted teacher of the year twice and retired in 1968. In 1998, Humphrey moved back to Pecos with her daughter and her husband, Richard Creasy. Last year, when she celebrated her 99th birthday, about six of her former students attended a party in her honor. A former student, Birdie Slack, credited Humphrey to her becoming a schoolteacher. She also told a story of trick or treating at the Humphrey house one year. She said her friends and she went up to the screen door on Halloween and peeked in and saw Humphrey and her husband kissing. Slack remembers thinking that was so romantic. Creasy said her mother has always been very independent and has a mind of her own and believes that is has helped her live this long. "It's very like her to make sure she makes it to her 100th birthday," Creasy said. Marana Orsborn Humphrey has seen a century of changes in the world, and has been a positive inspiration to many people throughout her career as a wife, mother, teacher and friend. Former students and friends are invited to come visit Humphrey on her birthday, June 28, at 1610 South Park from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
 
 

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